CHICKEN Rendang, Ayam Penyet and Nasi Minyak (fragrant rice dish) are just some of the dishes whipped up by housewife Tuty Sukari when she dons her apron twice a week.

The meals are then delivered to low-income families.

Tuty is in her 40s and she is not just a volunteer, but also a beneficiary of Beyond Social Services’ Masak Lah! Programme –  supported by #OCBCCares.

The initiative aims to empower women – specifically, women from low-income households – to use their culinary skills to help feed other families in need. 

“It allows them to play their part in giving back and influence social change for themselves and their community,” said an OCBC spokesperson.

So far, seven women under this project have prepared 7,000 meals for 56 families, and all the food ingredients are paid for under the #OCBCCares programme.

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The bank also provides these women a stipend for their hard work, and several of them have set up their own catering services.

According to Beyond Social Services, many of the low-income families it supports, including Tuty’s, struggle with financial stability, making it difficult for them to have regular nutritious meals.

A study in 2020 by the Singapore Management University’s Lien Centre for Social Innovation found that of the group of Singaporeans who struggled to get sufficient, safe and nutritious food, two out of five households found it challenging to get enough food at least once a month.

Grace Toh, a community worker at Beyond Social Services, said: “We are glad to see that Madam Tuty is able to use her culinary skills to help support her community’s food needs, while generating an income at the same time.”

Tuty said: “I’m happy to be able to help other mothers in the community, by freeing up time for them to attend to other urgent chores or spend more quality time with their families.”

Another issue that is on OCBC’s agenda – besides helping the community - is climate change.

Hence, besides initiatives such as the OCBC Arboretum at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the bank launched #OCBCCares Environment Fund in 2017 to fund ground-up sustainability projects.

To date, the fund has disbursed more than S$300,000 to support 18 projects. These initiatives range from composting; reducing plastics and waste; and encouraging the use of dehydrated cleaning detergents to aquaponics farming.

Koh Ching Ching, head of Group Brand and Communications at OCBC, said: “The purpose of our #OCBCCares Environment Fund is to motivate the community through projects that can empower the general public to implement sustainable and scalable climate action solutions that will benefit Singapore. That’s why this fund supports projects that go beyond raising awareness to directly impacting the environment.”

For its efforts, the bank was named a Champion of Good by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) this year.

OCBC’s Koh said: “Helping the more vulnerable in the society and supporting initiatives that help tackle climate change can only deliver meaningful outcomes with strong partnerships.”

Champions of Good was launched in 2017 as a national recognition initiative by NVPC’s Company of Good. It recognises organisations that are exemplary in doing good, and have also been a multiplier by engaging their partners and stakeholders on a collaborative journey.

Another company that was recognised for doing good was Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC.

Deanna Ong, chief people officer of GIC, said the company seeks to create long-term value through its investments, and this belief extends to the community programmes such as GIC Sparks and Smiles, which started in 2015.

The initiative has empowered Singaporean youth from disadvantaged backgrounds to be changemakers who pay it forward in their own communities. 

The awardees receive a grant to support their studies, and are trained by experienced social service practitioners. They each commit 25 hours to community service, particularly mentoring children and youth. 

Ong said: “The programme was expanded to take in more students from institutes of higher learning in 2020, and the qualifying income ceiling for students is frequently reviewed to ensure it remains relevant.”

The multiplier effect is apparent as the alumni of the Sparks & Smiles programme often go on to become community leaders who continue to pay it forward after graduation.

For example, Chew Yu Sheng, a recipient in 2018, has been an active alumnus who continues to help GIC coordinate induction sessions for new batches of Sparks recipients.

Chew said: “Sparks has provided me an opportunity and platform to grow as a person. As I mentor and interact with children from disadvantaged backgrounds, I feel a strong sense of empowerment to lead and set an example. Not only am I able to give back to society, I find myself receiving so much in terms of learning and opportunities as well.”

Ong said: “Over the longer term, we want to empower more youth to be just like Yu Sheng – confident leaders with a heart for the community, and active corporate citizens when they join the workforce.”

Another flagship programme is GIC X Change – a six-month mentorship and volunteering programme where GIC mentors are paired with youth mentees to develop community service projects.

The initiative was piloted in 2019 and all participants undergo a specially curated curriculum conducted by Skillseed, a social enterprise that develops workshops and experiences for community building and citizen engagement.

Ong said: “In the process, ideas are exchanged, mentor-mentee bonds are forged, and participants gain experiences and skills that serve them in their professional and personal capacities.”

GIC X Change makes it possible to volunteer with groups such as Life Community’s Friends of Children and Youth.

The programme helped provide support for children whose parents are incarcerated, and Ong said that the volunteering experiences “helped shape our life experiences, and allowed us to leverage our strengths to create care for the community. When you support one and the one goes out to support another, it multiplies the impact for the community”.

Find out who the Champions of Good 2022 are and be inspired by their stories at companyofgood.sg/champions.